An Indian man checks the numbers of a lottery chart in Mumbai on January 1, 2015. Generally people buy lottery tickets to try out their luck on New Year's day. People all over the world ushered in the New Year 2015 with great fanfare and celebration with some offices and establishments giving a day off to their employees. AFP PHOTO / INDRANIL MUKHERJEE (Photo credit should read INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP/Getty Images)

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In a lucky twist of events, the state of Kerala has proven to be a gold mine for a Bengali construction worker who reportedly won a lottery of ₹1 crore, just three days after he shifted states for work.

After failing to procure a sufficient source of income to support his family, 22-year-old Mofijul Rahima Sheikh, who hails from West Bengal’s Bardhaman disrict, found employment at a construction firm in Kozhikode on 3rd March.

Sheikh, who is also a father to a ten-month old daughter, bought the ₹50 ticket the next evening, claiming in an interview that it was purchased out of sympathy for the seller, a man with physical disabilities.

On uncovering his happy surprise the following Monday, an ecstatic but vigilant Sheikh immediately contacted the police, and spent the night in the police station, fearing an assault. He was eventually escorted by the police to the nearest bank, where he then opened an account and deposited the money.

“We are overjoyed now, but were afraid for his life when we heard the news for the first time. We feared that someone could attack him,” said Sheikh’s Bengal-based father-in-law in an interview with Times of India.

A grand reception has been planned by Sheikh’s family upon his arrival back home.